Wings of Icarus
by Sundial-Solaris
Summary: A year since the end of KHII. Our three friends embark on yet another adventure, but their complacence leads to a vortex of new worlds, a familiar evil and a new keybearer, one that resides in darkness. This new voyage may lead to their eventual downfall.
1. Disturbed Flight

Wings of Icarus

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Author's Note: My newest chaptered fanfic! It's yet another attempt at something non-crack. So R&R, and enjoy! And don't worry, I'll update the rest of my stories soon, once I get my ideas/muse back for the plot! -prods dead muse-

Disclaimer: I don't own KH or any of its characters, blahblahblah.

Full Summary: It had been a year since the end of Kingdom Hearts II. Sora, Riku and Kairi are settling back to the easy life on Destiny Islands. But when they decide to build yet another raft to sail the world, they were getting more than they bargained for. Sucked into a vortex of new worlds, they must find their way out. And when a familiar evil rears its ugly head, their overconfidence and curiousity could lead to their final downfall.

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Chapter I: Disturbed Flight

"Sora, Sora!" Kairi called, her melodious voice emanating in soothing waves, rivaling the crash of the frothy ocean as it lapped upon the shore of Destiny Islands. The spiky-haired boy yawned and got up from his sandy bed, shaking grains of sand out of his hair as blue eyes adjusted to his peaceful surroundings. It had been a year since they'd defeated Xemnas and the Organization. Things had pretty much returned to normal, although Sora couldn't be totally sure. But Kairi and Riku seemed to be. His friends were busy building a new raft, and Riku, who was now seventeen, had scrawled 'Riku Highwind' on it in messy black marker. Trundling over to the scene, sixteen-year-old Sora frowned at the word. "Riku, who said you could name the raft again?" The silver-haired boy shrugged. "You were sleeping, so..." Kairi giggled and pointed at Sora's face. "Oh no." Sora muttered, and ran over to the sea to look at his reflection.

"RIKU! I'LL KILL YOU!"

Apparently, Riku had taken the liberty of childishly scrawling a moustache on Sora's face after naming the ship. Sora swore never to sleep on the beach again. He'd nap in his room. And he'd make sure that the door was locked. Kairi and Riku laughed as they ran from Sora's wrath. "Oh no you don't!" Sora screamed as he pounced on his friends, and the three of them soon ended up in a big sandy pile on the boardwalk, laughing breathlessly. "The raft's finally complete!" Kairi declared, sticking a badly-made flag on the wooden pole that jutted from the friends' little contraption. "Great!" Sora and Riku said, and slapped hands. "This will be the first time we're getting out of here since a year ago. And there will be no Organization phonies to fight, no heartless, no nobodies, no nothing! It'll be our own little adventure! Who knows what worlds await us?" Sora shouted, pumping his fist in the air. "Let's get going, then!" Riku said, pushing Sora away and running over to their raft.

"Come on, help me!"

Riku shouted to his friends as he worked to push the huge wooden raft into the water. Sora and Kairi ran over and together they moved the contraption into the sea, where it bobbed up and down calmly. Stepping onto the raft, Riku held out a hand to help Kairi on. Sora hopped onto the raft himself, and raised the makeshift sail which they had added. "Oars?" Riku asked. "Check." "Food and water supplies?" "Check." Sora said boredly, pointing to a large haversack which he had brought along. "Are you guys sure we'll find new worlds?" Kairi asked nervously. "Sure we will!" Sora exclaimed. "Maybe we'll even see Donald, Goofy or King Mickey on the way there! We'll never know." Kairi nodded, smiling. "Let's go then." She said. "Cast off!" Riku shouted into the horizon as the raft slowly floated out to sea, the waves crashing gently against the side of the raft. Leaning back, Sora closed his eyes lazily as evening descended upon the horizon. The sunset was beautiful, a conflagration of pink, orange and red, the grey clouds rolling across the golden sun. The entire horizon seemed to be glowing faintly. The last rays of the setting sun seemed to make the sea's glassy surface sparkle, and a feeling of calmness hovered in the air.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" 

Sora asked dreamily, watching the tiny islands they called home drift further and further away. "Mmm." Kairi responded, busy enjoying the gentle caress of the ocean breeze. Riku was busy paddling the raft. He gave a light chuckle. "New worlds await, my friends. I just hope we don't run into a storm or something." "Oh, don't worry Riku. My mighty keyblade and I will defend you all." This caused the silver-haired boy to scowl. "You're not the only one who has a keyblade, you know. Besides, mine's cooler than yours." "Nuh-uh." "Is so." "Is not." "Oh will you guys just stop it already?" Kairi said irritably. "I'm trying to get some peace and quiet." Sora and Riku sighed. "Truce for now, Sora." Riku said teasingly. "Oh sure." The keyblader replied, before leaning back again and facing the bleak evening sky. A few gulls soared past. It all seemed so ethereal, beside the fact that they were in the middle of the ocean without any sense of direction.

"Sora, look there!"

Kairi suddenly screamed.

Sora quickly got up and turned towards the direction in which Kairi was pointing. A badly-burnt boat was bobbing silently on the waves, a terrible charred smell emanating from whatever the boat witheld. Kairi dreaded to think of what that was. "Should we take it in?" Riku asked, preparing to throw a hook he had made himself to snag the boat. "I think so. Someone might be injured." Sora responded. Riku threw the hook and started to drag the burnt boat towards their raft. There was a pained cough. "Did you hear that?" Kairi asked. "Yeah." Sora and Riku said together. As they pulled the boat in, Sora quickly looked over the edge of the raft to see who was in the boat. To his horror, it was King Mickey himself. Tears started to brim in Sora's eyes as he wiped them away quickly.

"King Mickey! What happened?"

Sora said urgently. King Mickey gave another strained cough. "T-they have r-returned, m-more powerful than e-ever." Fear gripped Sora's heart immediately. He could feel the sense of peace shatter around them. Kairi and Riku looked shocked as well. "Who are...they?" Riku asked uneasily. "T-they s-sent the e-eighth after m-me." Another terrible cough racked the King's form. A piece of wood fell from the burnt boat and into the sea with a soft splash. "Who ARE they?!" Sora demanded. Kairi was trembling in fear as King Mickey took a deep breath. "T-the..." Then he collapsed. "Your majesty! Your majesty!" Riku shouted, panicking. Kairi bit her lip. But the King did not move. "I think we lost him." Sora said quietly. "NO!" Kairi screamed, clutching Riku's arm and sobbing. "We should go back." Riku said. "We don't want to get ourselves in more trouble than we already are." "No." Sora replied. "I'm curious...something we once defeated has returned. We must find it again. I'm confident that we can remove it once and for all." "But King Mickey..." Kairi whispered. "I know. But we cannot let this deter us. It appears that the King's boat has come from the east. That is the direction for which we must head." Riku solemnly let the boat Mickey was in float away. "Rest in peace." he said. "Sora's right. Let's sail for the east."

"What do you think we'll find then?"

Kairi asked fearfully. Sora's expression remained stony. "I don't know. But whatever it is, we must prepare ourselves. Whatever this evil is, whether it is new or something we have faced before, it was powerful enough to defeat the King permanently. We must consider ourselves weaker than he. Without teamwork, I doubt we can survive." Riku frowned. "What about Donald and Goofy? I'm sure they could help us somehow." "I guess. But we can't find them now. We're too far out." Sora responded. "Let's just go." The raft bobbed into the distance, leaving the burnt boat behind. They couldn't help but shed a few tears as they watched water seep into the boat, and the boat itself slowly sink with its cargo. "The eighth...what could the King have been speaking about?" Sora asked himself. It was too early for an answer. But somehow, things started to piece together in his mind. There was a vague sense of familiarity...

A brilliant flash of lightning illuminated the now pitch dark sky, followed by an ominous roll of thunder. "A storm!" Riku shouted as violent winds started to blow, causing the calm sea to rear up in murky wrath and disapproval. The raft's sail started to billow outwards with tremendous force, and a few ripping sounds could be heard as the white cloth started to tear away. "We'll never make it like this!" Kairi screamed through the commotion. The winds had escalated, howling in fury as they concentrated their power upon this small raft in the middle of the ocean. Droves of rain started to fall from the gloomy sky, pattering against the three as they held on to the raft's flagpole for their lives. "We shouldn't have left the islands..." Riku whispered quietly to himself. "It's too late now!" Sora screamed as the flagpole creaked under the wind's force. Drops of transparent water dripped off their hair and clothes, leaving them shivering in the midst of the torrential rain. "To the east..." Kairi repeated, as Riku managed to shift the raft towards that direction, hoping the wind would at least help to carry them further. The storm raged through the night as their eyelids became heavy. Another clap of thunder soared across the sky, intricate webs of lightning spreading through the darkness above them. "I hope we survive." Sora said, as darkness overcame them.

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	2. A New World

Chapter II: A New World

Author's Note: A big hug to WriterApprentice for reviewing most of my ficcies and being one of my most frequent reviewers! -hugs- You get cookies! -tosses giant rainbow cookie- You were the first to review this story, so another cookie for you! -tosses another giant rainbow cookie- I love all my other reviewers too, and White Raven 013, who reviewed my other story and has been a loyal reviewer to my friend xxKokejin. (She loves you for that) But all my other reviewers get cookies too! -tosses cookies- Anyway, here's Chapter 2, where Sora gets dumped into a new world. The world of Pocahontas. (Other Disney worlds NOT listed in KH 1 or 2 will be listed in my fic. So it's going to be a long journey for Sora and friends!)

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The first rays of morning light seeped beneath the tired lids of Sora, who woke abruptly and looked around. Tree trunks of various heights and sizes surrounded him, with a huge leafy canopy just above him. Rubbing the back of his head, Sora groaned and sat up, noticing that Riku and Kairi were nowhere to be found. It was then he noticed that he was tied to a wooden pole by the legs. "What the--" he muttered, before twisting around to see if anyone else was there. There was no one. "Riku! Kairi!" Sora called. But there was no reply. Then he heard whispering from around him in a strange language. Just as Sora was about to summon his keyblade, a man emerged from the woods. He was large and intimidating, with brown skin and hypnotic dark eyes. Long dark hair enveloped half of his head, and red war paint was smeared on his left cheek. He wore a robe and cloak of deerskin and held a twisted wooden staff which bore similar feathers to those that decorated his headpiece. "Pale one," The man spoke. "What is it that you want here?"

Sora looked confused. It was then similar looking people dragged the remnants of his raft from out of the trees. "Um, nothing." Sora replied absentmindedly. Several of the people pointed at the Kingdom Hearts chain around his neck in wonder.

"Nothing?" The man repeated.

"Well, I was out floating in the middle of the ocean..."

"Do not speak lies, pale one. You want gold. There is no gold."

"But I..."

"Father, let him speak." Sora watched as a woman emerged from the trees. The others in the tribe seemed to fall back slightly as she walked past, making Sora sure of the fact that she was royalty of some sort in the tribe. She had long dark hair and wore a deerskin dress. A pattern of red ochre was painted around her arm. A raccoon, a dog and a tiny hummingbird trailed behind her. She smiled kindly down at Sora. "Speak." She said. "It will be all right." Sora nodded quickly. He felt an ominous sense that if he didn't say anything, something bad would happen to him.

"Okay. Like I said, I was out floating in the middle of the ocean, when a storm..."

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"Hey, are you all right?"

A voice snapped Riku out of his reverie. The silver-haired boy yawned and pried his eyes open to see the face of a blonde man. The man stared, concerned. "So you're all right then?" Riku nodded sleepily and stood up, seeing various people hustle and bustle around, carrying wood, axes and other random things. "Er, where am I again?" Riku asked the blonde man. "You're--" The man began, just when he was interrupted by a rather fat, older man wearing an outrageously ugly feathered hat. He had long, matted black hair and looked outrightly snobbish. "Have you seen Percy, Smith? Guess not. Get back to work." he said haughtily as the blonde man walked away, rolling his eyes. "Well I see you've awoken boy. Our dedicated group of English men here found you out on a raft with two of your friends. The savages took one away though."

"Where's my other friend, then?"

"Oh, the girl? She's in the tent. Since we've found you, you have to work for us. Now get digging!" The man said.

Riku was insulted. "What did you say? I will not dig for you!"

The man looked down at Riku with scorn. "Really? Then I shall just have to make your little girlfriend do your share of the work." He said simply. Riku growled. "You're heartless." he said. "Really? However, my name is Ratcliffe, not 'heartless'. And it's GOVERNOR Ratcliffe to you boy. Now get to work." "Why you..." Riku muttered. He resisted the urge to summon his keyblade for the moment, waiting for the opportune time when Ratcliffe left to run to the tent. "Kairi!" Riku whispered. "Riku?" Said the auburn-haired girl, who was currently sitting inside the tent. "Come on, let's find Sora and get out of here. We need to find the person who killed King Mickey." Kairi nodded, and they both slipped away from camp and into the forest.

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"...and that's how I ended up here." Sora finished. The tribe looked awed.

"Who is this...King Mickey you speak of?" The chief asked suspiciously.

"Well, he's the ruler of Disney Castle." Sora said as a matter-of-factly. "He was brutally killed by some person known as the 'eigth' or something. I fear that one of our old foes have awakened, so I'm headed to the east. So you won't have me around for long anyway." He said, releasing a troubled sigh. "I hope none of my other friends are in danger." He said. At this, the chief seemed to realize something. "The settlers took them away." The chief said. Sora looked confused. "Huh?" he asked stupidly. "Nevermind." The chief said, sighing. "If your friends are clever, they've probably slipped out of their camp by now..."

Just then, Riku and Kairi burst through the trees. "Sora, we've got to leave now. We have no time!" Kairi exclaimed. "That governor...or whatever he is is looking for us to do hard labour." Riku continued. Sora nodded. "Do we have another raft or something ready?" "Yes, we took a boat from the settlers. We may have no time!" Kairi said. "They've probably realized we're missing from their camp by now." she continued and quickly pulled Sora away. "Wait!" Pocahontas called. She handed Sora a chain with a stone on it. "I believe that you are telling the truth. Just awhile ago, a strange hooded man appeared in the forest. Our tribe tried to hunt him down, but the man vanished into a dark hole, dropping this." Sora took the stone from the native and examined it. It was a rock. Nothing special about it, but on its smooth surface was carved a 'XIII'. Sora frowned. "Organization XIII! Are they back?" he suddenly exclaimed. "I don't think so...but they aren't powerful enough to kill King Mickey..." Riku replied. "Maybe there's another evil involved." Kairi suggested.

Sora thought for a moment.

"Perhaps, Kairi. This means we're in danger again. We'd better get moving."

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The three bid goodbye to the tribe, and quickly rushed to the shore where they jumped into the wooden boat. Riku pushed them off from the shore just as the settlers appeared out of the forest. "There they go!" One of them declared. But by now, the three friends were all but too far to shoot. "Sora..." Kairi whispered. "Why did we have to get ourselves into trouble again?" Sora sighed. "I don't know. But we shouldn't have left Destiny Islands." Riku was silent. The boat bobbed silently on the murky sea. "Where do we go from here?" Kairi asked. "I don't know..." Sora responded. "Wherever the waves take us." he said. "As long as we head towards the east. I can sense something bad is about to happen, but I don't know what. The waves slammed violently onto the side of the boat. "I hope there won't be another storm..." Sora muttered.

"Well, well. What do we have here?"

A familiar voice said menacingly. A dark portal appeared in the air. Yes, the air. A figure cloaked in black stepped out, floating on top of nothingness, hovering like a ghost above the three. "You failed to stop us, keyblader. And now, we have acquired the help of one better than you. So give up now, Sora. Go back home. Watch as we resume our conquest of the worlds." The figure held his hands up dramatically, grasping the air. "What you seek lies not far away. But trials await you. Do not be complacent, Sora. For it will eventually cost you your life."

"Wait--" Sora started.

But the figure faded away into thin air, as quickly as he had come.

"You are not prepared."

The voice drifted on the wind.

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A/N: That's it folks! The end of Chapter II. I hope it was okay, for I wrote it in the midst of history homework. Ugh. Anyway, I hope to update by tomorrow or so, so look out for more! Meanwhile, PLEASE R&R, and no flaming


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